Superior Photocatalytic Efficiency with Titania (TiO۲)-Polyaniline (PANI) Nanocomposite for Rapid Carbol Fuchsin (CF) Dye Degradation

Hybrid photocatalysts, comprising both inorganic and organic polymeric components, are the most promising photocatalysts for the degradation of organic contaminants. The nanocomposite, Titania-Polyaniline (TiO۲-PANI) was synthesized using the chemical oxidative polymerization method. Various characterization techniques were employed to assess the properties of the catalysts. The ultraviolet diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) analysis revealed that the TiO۲ absorbs only UV light while the TiO۲-PANI nanocomposite absorbs light from both UV and visible regions. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed the presence of TiO۲ (anatase) in both TiO۲ nanoparticles and TiO۲-PANI (Titania-Polyaniline)  nanocomposite. The phases of the catalysts were verified through Raman, TEM, and SAED techniques where all results are in good agreement with each other. The average crystallite size of TiO۲ nanoparticle and TiO۲-PANI nanocomposite were ۱۳.۸۷ and ۱۰.۷۶ nm. The thermal stability of the catalysts was assessed by the Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. The order of the thermal stability is TiO۲ > TiO۲-PANI > PANI.  The crystal lattice characteristics were confirmed using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The surface area measurements were confirmed from the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) study and were employed for the evaluation of the photocatalytic efficiency of both, TiO۲ nanoparticles and TiO۲-PANI nanocomposite catalysts. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) study was employed for elemental detection of the fabricated materials. While Raman spectroscopy was employed for the chemical structure and the phase characteristics of the materials. The standard conditions for the degradation of the CF dye were ۸ g/L of catalyst dosage, ۲۰ mg/L of dye concentration, and a pH of ۷. The TiO۲-PANI nanocomposite exhibited superior efficiency as compared to pure TiO۲ nanoparticles, achieving almost ۱۰۰ % degradation in just ۴۰ minutes.

Keywords:

TiO۲–PANI nanocomposite , Carbol fuchsin dye , TEM , Water purification